The Chronicles of the Keeper Part I
by The King of the Stormlands
Summary: Takes place in The 3rd Book (Warning: may contain spoilers). Harry and the others have finally started a new school year at Hogwarts, and ofcourse the extraordinary won't leave him yet. An escaped convict threatens his safety, a mysterious new student who was late for two years, and a painful link to a sad past. (The Story may end on the 7th Book)
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Late Student

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, other than the story and OC.**

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore, the candlelight shimmering on his beard. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! I have a few things to say to you all, and one of them is very serious, I think it best to get it out of the way before you become befuddled by our exellent feast..."

Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued "As you will all be aware after their search at the Hogwarts Express, our school is presently playing host to some of the dementors of Azkaban, who are here on the Ministry of Magic buisness."

He paused, and Harry remembered what Mr. Weasley had said about Dumbledore not being happy with the dementors guarding the school.

"They are stationed at every entrance to the grounds." Dumbledore continued, "and while they are with us, I must take it plain that nobody is to leave the school without permission. Dementors are not to be fooled by tricks or disguises - or even Invisibility Cloaks." he added blandly, and Harry and Ron glanced at each other. "It is not in the nature of a dementor to understand pleading or excuses. I therefore warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. I look to the perfects, and our new head boy and girl, to make sure that no student runs afoul of the dementors," he said.

Percy who was sitting a few seats from Harry, puffed out his chest again and stared around impressively. Dumbledore paused again; he looked very seriously around the hall, and nobody moved or made a sound.

"On the happier note," he continued, "I am pleased to welcome two new teachers to our ranks this year."

"First, Professor Lupin, who has kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

There was some scattered, rather unenthusiastic applause. Only those who had been in the compartment on the train with Professor Lupin clapped hard, Harry among them. Professor Lupin looked particularly shabby next to all the other teachers in their best robes.

"Look at Snape!" Ron hissed in Harry's ear

Professor Snape, the Potions master, was staring along the staff table at Professor Lupin. It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defense Against the Dark Arts job, but even Harry, who hated Snape, was startled at the expression twisting his thin, shallow face. It was beyond anger: it was loathing. Harry knew that expression only too well; it was the look Snape wore every time he set eyes on Harry.

"As to our second new appointment," Dumbledore continued as the lukewarm applause for Professor Lupin died away. "Well, I am sorry to tell you that Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, retired at the end of last year in order to enjoy more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am delighted to say that his place will be filled by none other than Rubeus Hagrid, who has agreed to take on this teaching job in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Harry, Ron, and Hermionie stared at one another, stunned. They joined in with the applause, which was tumultuous at the Gryffindor table in particular. Harry leaned forward to see Hagrid, who was ruby-red in the face and staring down at his enormous hands, his wide grin hidden in the tangle of his black beard.

"We should've known!" Ron roared, pounding the table. Who else would have assigned a biting book?"

Harry, Ron, Hermione were the last to stop clapping, and as Professor Dumbledore started speaking again, they saw that Hagrid was wiping his eyes on the tablecloth.

"Before we start I have news that we also have one more student, who was sadly late for two years." Dumbledore said and everyone was silent.

"One more student?" Hermionie asked Ron and Harry who only shrugged at her question.

The students continued to whisper at each other, for there nothing has ever happened like this before "Late for two years?" a student at the Ravenclaw table said. "Nothing has happened like this before." a student at the Hufflepuff table said.

Before they could all argue about the new student Dumbledore continued "This boy will be a fine addition to the students here at Hogwarts, he was only late due to some reasons I can hardly tell you, but with his intelligence, and age he will joining the third years this year."

The whispered argues of the students continued "Who is this guy?" a student at the Slythrin table said. "I bet he'll be in Ravenclaw." a girl said at the back of the said table. "Can he play Quidditch?" a boy said with everyone hearing what he said.

"We will now begin the sorting of this student, now you may enter Mr. Nic-" before Dumbledore could finish the hall doors slammed open revealing a brown owl flying carrying what appered to be a letter. As the owl flew to Dumbledore the students again started to whisper amongst each other. Then the said owl landed next to the Headmadster, and gave the letter to him before flying away in a hurry.

Everyone watched as the owl left, then turned to Dumbledore who was starting to open and read the said letter.

While Dumbledore read the letter there was silence, then the Headmaster spoke to announce what was the message of the letter. "Looks like our new student will not be here tonight because of an emergency." Dumbledore said calmly, before the students would start again Dumbledore finished his announcement "but he has promised to return tomorrow night for his sorting and welcoming to this school." Dumbledore said as he folded the letter.

More whispering happened.

"Therefore that everything has been concluded let the feast begin!" Dumbledore ended vigorously.

As everyone started eating, everyone was rather curious on who would this new (late) student could be. "I wonder who this person is." Hermionie said curiously to Harry and Ron. "I bet he is always late at everything." Ron said mockingly. "Well certainly there must be a very good reason about this." said Hermione. Harry was only silent thinking if this student was related to Black's escape from Azkaban. " _sigh*_ Might as well get ready for classes tomorrow." Harry said vigorously. Then Hermione simlpy replied "Yep you're right." with this Ron only groaned thinking about his classes to which both Harry and Hermione smiled at.

Meanwhile at the Ravenclaw table one particular blonde haried girl thought about her sleeping compartment seatmate for she did'nt see him again even if she tried looking for him at the hall, but unbeknowst to Luna Lovegood that boy was the new student and that he was at the moment, in a certain far away place.

* * *

The next day was pretty much enjoyed/hated by everyone. Almost everybody enjoyed Defense against the Dark Arts, including the trio with Proffesor Lupin. They all Still pretty much hated Professor Snape for his usual teaching (minus the slytherins), yet Harry, Ron, and Hermionie enjoyed the whole day, until Ron and Hermionie left for Hogsmeade while Harry didn't because he doesn't have a guradian's permission slip.

While they were all doing their extra-curicular activities at Hogsmeade one Luna Lovegood sat alone at a tree at the school grounds not too far away from the school.

Why you might ask? Luna has been the outsider here at this school having earned the title 'Loony Lovegood', and there she sat silently sad at her current state. Then she thought once again about the boy at the train compartment, as she recalled the boy whom she had been with in the compartment she recalled everything that happened that day. Because she would normally have her own compartment alone, but yesterday every compartment was either occupied or full, and she had to ask for a seat at each compartment (minus Potter's offcourse which was full), to which most of them were full, and she was laughed at. Then after being rejected by many compartments there she was gloomily walking to the last compartment "This is my last shot or I will have to sit at the baggage car" she said to herself. She sighed and reached for the compartment door. When she opened the door that's where she saw him sitting on the seat snoring peacefully. He had brown bangless ear-length wavy not too curly and not too straight hair that showed his forehead, and a white pale-ish tanned face, and he was wearing a black coat that had a big collar ontop of a grey sweater, black jeans, and black Shoes.

Luna's face reddened at the sight of him and she nearly hesitated to leave or ask if she can sit in this compartment. thinking he would reject her upon sight, and that's when she noticed a piece of paper tied to his neck that had magical script on it repeating over and over it said: 'Please don't wake me up I love my sleep, and if you or your group wants to sit here be my guest, but please refrain from being noisy.' Then after Luna read the note tied to his neck. When she had finaly made her desision she just sat down quietly opposite to the boy, stated at him for a few seconds then started to read her copy of the Quibbler.

Back outside the school Luna was still sitting beside the said tree. _'I wonder what was his emergency'_ she thought while silently watching the sun set remembering what happened that yesterday, then sighed and gloomily walked back to her dormitory after realizing that the boy in the compartment was the new late third year.

As she entered the entrance to the castle she headed to her dorm. Meanwhile a mysterious figure was watching her from a far "It will be only a matter of time and then you will finally be free, and out of the corner Lord Voldemort." then the figure laughed maniacaly.

When she re-entered the castle she noticed it was pretty much more quiet than usual, the hallways were deserted due to the fact that most of the students were at Hogsmeade, and only a few of the many students were still at the castle most of them were either sleeping in or doing their assignments at the library. As she was silently walking to her dorm Luna noticed something unusual in the hallway.

A flying Luggage Trunk that looked to be slowly heading towards the corner. Luna looked at it with a questioned face as she watched it stop at the said corner. Luna moved to look closely at the Trunk. It has a nice brown color, and it had two big silver locks as if it was guarding something big.

Luna moved slowly closer, the reached out to touch the Trunk. But, she heard someone say, "Miss. Lovegood?" and that's when she realized that she was no longer alone in the hallway. She turned around to see who was there, she wasn't at all surprised to see Proffesor Flitwick at this hallway because the library was nearby. After seeing that it was the Proffesor she greeted him enthusiasticaly, "Good Afternoon Proffesor." Proffesor Flitwick smiled as he walked closer to the girl then asked "What are you doing here Miss. Lovegood? Usualy everyone is at Hogsmeade at this hour."

Luna only looked at the little Proffesor with a smile and said "I was just taking a walk around Proffesor, and I didn't go with the others at Hogsmeade because I don't feel like it sir." The Proffesor only nodded and walked forward and said to Luna without looking back at her "Alright but don't go to places that shouldn't be visited, take care Miss Lovegood." he finished vigorously as he left for the library. As Luna saw the Proffesor leave she looked at the corner only to see that the Luggage Trunk was no longer there. She sighed dissapointedly and after a short mental argument raged within her mind wether to find the said Trunk. After a few seconds she just chose to ignore the trunk thinking it not important and continued walking silently to her dorm.

Later that evening inside the Griffindor Common room,"There you go," said Ron. "We got as much as we can carry."

A shower of brilliantly colored sweets fell into Harry's lap. It was dusk, and Ron and Hermione had just turned up in the common room, pink-faced from the cold wind and looking as though they had the time of their lives.

"Thanks," said Harry, picking up a packet of tiny black Pepper Imps. "What's Hogsmeade like? Where did you go?"

By the sound of it, everywhere. Deverish and Banges, the wizarding equipment shop, Zonko's Joke Shop, into the Three Broomsticks for foaming mugs of hot butterbeer, and many places besides.

"The post office, Harry! About two hundred owls, all sitting on shelves, all color coded depending on how fast you want your letter to get there!"

"Honeydukes has a new type of fudge; they were giving out free samples,there's a bit look-"

"We think we saw an ogre, honestly they get all sorts at the Three Broomsticks -"

"We wish we could have brought you some butterbeer,realy warms you up-"

"What did you do?" said Hermione, lookimg anxious. "Did you get any work done?"

"No," said Harry. "Lupin made me a cup of tea in his office. And then Snape came in..."

He told them all about the goblet. Ron's mouth fell open.

"Lupin drank it?" he gasped. "Is he mad?"

Hermione checked over her watch,

"We'd better go down, you know, the feast'll be starting in five minutes..." They hurried through the portrait hole and into the crowd, still discussing Snape.

"But if he-you know-" Hermione dropped her voice, glancing nervously around. "if he was trying to-to poison Lupin-he wouldn't have done it in front of Harry."

"Yeah, maybe," Harry said as they reached the entrance hall and crossed into the Great Hall. It had been decorated with hundreds and hundreds of candle-filled pumpkins, a cloud of fluttering live bats, and many flaming orange steamers, which were swimming lazily across the stormy ceiling like brilliant watersnakes.

"The food was delicious; even Hermione and Ron, who were full to bursting with Honeydukes sweets, managed second helpings of everything. Harry kept glancing at the staff table. Professor Lupin looked cheerful and as well as he ever did; he was talking animatedly to tiny Professor Flitwick, the Charms Teacher. Harry moved his eyes along the table, to the place where Snape sat. Was he imagining it, or was Snape's eyes flickering toward Lupin more often than natural?

After a few more minutes Dumbledore stood up, and spoke. "As you all remember last night a new student was supposed to be sorted-" Now the students are once again murmuring to one another, "-but was unable to do so due some emergency." Dumbledore continued. "What is he going to be late again?" one Hufflepuff asked to her seatmate. "Why don't they just be done with it?" a certain Slytherin complained. "Well, on the bright side the boy was finally able to arrive this evening and is on his way here to this very moment." Dumbledore said with a smile on his face.

The Murmuring started go louder as many students were talking with each other. "Looks like we'll be having a new schoolmate," Ron said to the others. " I s'pose so," Harry and Hermione said at the same time.

Meanwhile the students near the exits,and one Luna Lovegood was looking anxiously at the doors of the great hall waiting to see the new student. 'Who might he be?' Luna thought to herself.

"Now you may enter young Mr. Vanderbosch," Dumbledore said loud enough to be heard behind the door. The tension now rises within the great hall as they would finally see who the new student was.

The Doors opened.

* * *

 **A/N: Not bad eh? What did you think?**

 **Please don't forget to Review, Follow, or Favorite. ;D**


	2. Chapter II: A Grim Beggining

I DO NOT own Harry Potter or Fairy Tail...only the story and the OC.

When the doors opened, a boy slowly walked into the middle of the Hall.

Everyone was shocked and amazed with the boy's face.

Then again murmurs started to fill the Hall.

"Bloody Hell" Ron muttered not too loudly. After saying this Harry and Hermione too were as shocked as anyone else.

The Boy had an eye patch covering his right eye, which had a very visible vertical scar under the eyepatch, and another shorter horizontal one on the left cheek.

"Oh Dear!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

"I would only suppose that this was your emergency Mr. Vanderbosch?" he continued.

"Yes Professor, My Deepest apologies for my tardiness." The Boy formally replied.

"Formalities? Definately a Pure-Blood...wait Vanderbosch? Were have I heard that name before?" one Draco Malfoy thought to himself.

"Gasp* It's Him" Luna Lovegood thought. And offcourse she knew it was him she shared a compartment with him in the train, and she definately didn't forget his face, which leaves her bewildered, and also shocked at his scars on his face, and they look as if they already healed a long time ago.

"There is nothing to be forgiven for, but may I kindly ask what has happened last night?" The Professor politely asked.

Nicholas was silent at first.

"I am afraid I cannot say," The Boy once again replied.

 _'What could have happened? Yesterday he was fine.'_ Luna thought.

Along with the rest of the students, they were all murmuring to one another.

Hermione could only observe this suspicious character. Harry and Ron noticed this, but only decided to talk about it later. Harry, Ron, and Hermione later glanced at the faculty table and saw that most of the Professors are also a bit bewildered with the "new student", most of them were also murmuring to one another about the boy now called Mr. Vanderbosch.

Harry glanced at their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin who was looking as if he saw a ghost. Harry then glanced at the potions master. Professor Snape seemed to be more serious than usual starring at the boy as if he knew him from somehere.

Dumbledore deciding to ask the boy about it later continued, "Very well now since it is getting a little bit late I suppose we should be getting on with your sorting Mr. Vanderbosch."

"Ofcourse Professor," the boy once again greeted formally.

"Now then we may now begin your sorting Mr. Nicholas Vanderbosch," Dumbledore told the boy.

The first stood silently for a few seconds. Then he found himself walking towards the sorting hat that was magically teleported there.

As Nicholas walked towards the Sorting hat, the rest of the students were once again murmuring amongst themselves.

"I wonder which house he will be?" one Hufflepuff asked.

"He'll probably be in Ravenclaw," one Slytherin said.

"No, he has Slytherin material," Daphne Greengrass replied to the other Slytherin.

"I wonder were he'll be sorted in," Ron said to Harry.

"Well that is only between the Sorting hat and the person being sorted. Dont you remember our first year?" Hermione replied.

"Only difference is he'll be in the same year as us." Harry told them.

Nicholas stopped in front of the hat.

There was silence.

He just stared at it.

"Uhh...does he know what he's supposed to do?" another student murmured to another.

The Slytherins were trying to hold their laughter.

Realizing that Nicholas didn't know what to do "You may now sit and put it on your head." Dumbledore calmly told Nicholas.

Embarrased but not really affected, Nicholas did what he was told. He slowly lifted the hat, sat on the stool and then wore the hat ontop of his brownish black haired head.

There was silence.

Everyone was waiting for something to happen. Nicholas' face was stern and serious, and this made everyone even more anxious about the situation.

"What's taking so long?" Ron whispered to Harry and Hermione.

"The hat is probably telepathically talking to him right now. Don't you remember? You went through this before. " Hermione replied.

"Oh yeah, I remember." remarked Ron.

Harry just smiled at Hermione's sarcastic remark.

Five minuites have passed, and everyone was starting to get impatient. Nicholas' face changed from stern and serious to confused and dumbfounded.

The Trio noticed this.

Then suddenly...

"HAHAHA!!"

Everyone got startled at the sound of laughter (Nicholas included), then they saw the Sorting Hat laughing hard. The students were a bit freaked out, because the sorting hat does not usually do this.

"What is the matter old friend?" Dumbledore asked the hat.

"I haven't felt this in years! Haha, Albus after so long another Vanderbosch has come to be sorted! Haha." The Sorting Hat bellowed.

The Hall was full of confused students and dumbfounded professors.

Nicholas looked as if he didn't know what was happening.

Harry didn't know what was going on, the sorting hat acted rather odd than usual, but later shrugged of the idea because the student that was being sorted too was also unusual being late for three years, Harry wondered what was his reason why. Harry then glanced at Professor Snape, and he looked bewildered at the sorting hat's words.

"Another Vanderbosch?" Nicholas asked confused.

"Yes, right you are my boy, but as it appears to me you do not know anything about your family. Do you?" The Sorting hat told Nicholas.

"No...it appears I don't," Nicholas replied with a trace of solemn grief, but his face showed traces of anger on it.

When the students heard this they where now once again murmuring to one another.

"Clearly something like this has never happened before," Hermione beckoned to Harry.

"No I s'pose not," Harry replied.

"Well, let me tell you. Your family is one of the oldest Pure-Blood families in the world...a family even older than the Olivanders." The Hat told Nicholas.

The students were definately astonished at this news, because most of them did not know about this.

"I knew it!" Draco Malfoy silently remarked.

"Along with this school's great founders, one of your ancestors helped in creation of me, The Sorting Hat. Ofcourse the founders were the ones who created the hat and they created me with their magic...and as well as the unique, amazing, different magic wielded by Cornelius Vanderbosch. Your ancestor from centuries ago, and I find it odd that his unique magical presence runs through you. Only yours is different...more deeper and indepth. Which makes me rather joyful about this haha!" The Hat told Nicholas.

Nicholas was only silent, and his face was a mixture of confusion and embarassment.

The rest of the students really did'nt know what was going on. Harry just watched and waited for what is to come. Hermione on the other hand was keen on listening to every word just to feed up her ever growing curiosity. On the Ravenclaw table a most of the students and Luna too, and due to their curious trait, they just listened and waited.

"Your family also attended this school alongside the other wizards and witches in the world. They were known for their brains and cunning." The hat continued.

"That makes two possibilities, Slytherin and Ravenclaw." Harry told Ron and Hermione.

"But, most of them I had sorted into the Slytherin House, and only 4 Vanderboches landed on the Ravenclaw House." the Hat told Nicholas.

The students once again whispered to one another about this new information.

"A Pure-Blood Family to the right House." Draco Malfoy told his seatmates.

"Yes indeed this would make a good and fine addition to our House." Blaise Zabini replied

"And what's this got to do with me?" Nicholas replied already knowing that the sorting was taking too long.

"Because, you my boy are quite different than your family." The Hat once again told Nicholas.

Nicholas' face once again changed to confusion.

"Different? Different how?" Nicholas asked the Hat with a bit of a demanding tone..

"You have intense qualities from all of the Houses, which makes you very very difficult to sort." The hat announced.

Now the Hall was now full of loud murmurs because this sorting was too unusual. Even the members of the faculty were also getting a little befuddled by this.

"What!"

"How?"

"Impossible."

The hall was full of renarks, murmurs, and whisphers of disbelief and amazement mostly from the students.

And because of the hat's previous remark Harry remembered his own sorting, which the hat also once remarked it being difficult.

Dumbledore and the rest of the faculty only observed in silence.

"Now to begin your sorting we must characterize your intense qualities."

Nicholas' face took an emotionless turn.

Now the Hall fell silent.

Then the hat spoke up.

"First things first...you are highly inteligent and a fast learner, a trait you got from both your mother and father's side. But, aside from your father's already inteligent family, you got most of your inteligence and curiosity from your mother's side, which was another well known Pure-Blood family."

Nicholas' face was still emotionless. Only being silent just to be done with it.

"Another trait or quality you have is Loyalty, it was evident that you did something out of sheer loyalty in the past." The hat said.

Nicholas only grimaced and his face changed from emotionless to solemn and just looked down at the floor. A painful memory has resurfaced in his mind. And still he remained silent.

"Loyalty?" Susan Bones told herself and the rest of the hall once again murmured and whisphered. Especially the Hufflepuff table.

"Yet two more qualities remain. And you have more of these qualities than the first two...Bravery and Cunning, but which weighs more. There were multiple times when you saw nothing but death and darkness, as it is evident with your appearance, and only your cunning has brought you to where you are now. But, which is the quality that outmatches all the others?" The hat asked himself.

Nicholas was once again silent at the hat's remarks.

"What happens now?" Luna thought.

The situation now filled the Great Hall with tension and suspense.

"Each quality of yours does have a unique tale and song of it's own, tales of grief, of happines, and of love. And, only one has outmatched the other three." The hat spoke.

Everyone was now finally silent as they are finally about to know which house Nicholas Vanderbosch was about to be sorted in.

Nicholas only looked down and just waited patiently.

"Better be..." The Hat announced.

There was silence.

"GRYFFINDOR!!"

There was a loud applause that covered the entire Great Hall. Everyone clapped loudly to Celebrate the welcoming of a new student

 _'We have a new schoolmate'_ Luna happily thought while clapping alongside her housemates

 _'Nicholas Vanderbosch...hmmm intetesting I'll just ask father about knowing anyone named Vanderbosch..._ _I swear I heard that name somewhere before,"_ Thought Draco Malfoy.

Though they were still a little bit befuddled by the Sorting Hat's unusual actions, but still the students of the Griffindor table warmly welcomed Nicholas.

"Hello and welcome to Griffindor. I'm Percy, Prefect and Head boy of the Griffindor House." Percy welcomed the new student.

Nicholas smiled and shook hands with Percy.

"Hello name's Seamus." Nicholas did the same thing with Seamus.

"And this is Nevile, George, Fred, Ron and Harry Potter." Seamus continued.

Nicholas waved at them with a friendly smile.

"Hello." Lavander and Ginny greeted.

"Nice to meet you." Nicholas replied with a smile.

After the first greetings Nicholas finally started munching down his own plate. Which , much to anyone's dismay was a little too fast for how a normal person would eat.

Hermione (and a few other people) was watching Nicholas, with traces of disgust, and curiosity on her face. Harry and Ron saw this, and then Ron decided to poke her shoulder. Fred and George were trying to hold their laughter. Nicholas realizing that Hermione was staring. "Sorry I just haven't eaten all day." Nicholas spoke. Then she replied. "Oh its alright, I'm just not used to...um...see someone eat that fast. I am sorry if I offended you." Hermione replied embarrased.

"None taken." Nicholas calmly replied with a smile.

Ron then asked Nicholas a question.

"Oy mate might I ask you a question?" Ron asked Nicholas.

"Ok...and what might that be?" Nicholas in return replied with a question.

Harry and Ron looked at each other. Then he asked away.

"I don't mean to pry, but how did you get such a big scar?" Ron asked.

 _'Not to mention said scar is bloody bigger than Harry's'_ Ron thought at the back of his head.

Nicholas swallowed his food, then replied "An emergency happened, and sometimes accidents can happen around emergencies."

"Oh..." remarked Ron.

As Nicholas took another spoonful, Hermione then asked a question. "The Sorting Hat said that you are from a Pure Blood family, but I have never heard of..." then Nicholas cut her off, "The name Vanderbosch?" Nicholas said while putting down his spoon, then looked at Hermione with a questioning manner.

Hermionie paused and was a bit dumbfounded, then answered, "Yes."

Nicholas only sighed and took another spoonful. "That adds up to the things I did not know about my family," he said with a solemn tone.

There was a bit of an awkward silence, but it was soon broken when Nicholas asked a question "Does that Sorting hat usually sort like I was sorted?"

Most of the students within the 3 feet radius of Nicholas heard this.

"Uhhh...no," Harry answered the question.

"Hmmm..." was Nicholas' only response.

"Well usually that Hat sorts the student without talking and, not to mention laughing, it usually talks to you telepathically then only shouts the name of the house you are sorted into," Hermione elaborated.

"I would imagine your surprise with what just happened," Nicholas said before drinking from his goblet.

The Feast finished with an entertainment provided by the Hogwarts ghosts. They popped out of the walls and tables (much to Nicholas' surprise since he never saw a ghost before) to do a bit of formation gliding; Nearly Headless Nick, (who was surprised that the new student shared the name he has,) the Gryffindor ghost, had a great success with a reenactment of his own botched be-heading.

It had been such a pleasant evening that Harry's good mood couldn't even be spoiled by Malfoy, who shouted through the crowd as they left the hall, "The dementors send their love, Potter!"

"What's with him?" Nicholas asked Harry.

"Probably just bored," Hermione told Nicholas who was alongside them.

"Probably," Harry then remarked, and Ron only nodded in agreement.

As The Four houses started to seperate to head to the dormitories. Luna glanced at Nicholas for a few seconds. She saw that he was already socializing with his housemates, then she went along with her own housemates before they would leave her behind.

Later, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Nicholas followed the rest of the Gryffindors along the usual path to Gryffindor Tower, but when they reached the corridor that ended with the portrait of the Fat Lady, they found it jammed with students.

"Why isn't anyone going in?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry peered over the heads in front of him. The portrait seemed to be closed.

"What's going on?" Nicholas asked.

"I don't know," said Harry.

"Let me through, please," came Percy's voice, and he came bustling importantly through the crowd. "What's the holdup here? You can't all have forgotten the password-excuse me, I'm Head Boy-"

And then a silence fell over the crowd, from the front first, so that a chill seemed to spread down a corridor. They heard Percy say, in a suddenly sharp voice, "Somebody get Professor Dumbledore. Quick."

People's heads turned; those at the back were standing on tiptoe.

"What's going on?" said Ginny, who had just arrived.

A moment later, Professor Dumbledore was there, sweeping toward the portrait; the Gryffindors squeezed together to let him through, and Harry and the Group moved closer to see what the trouble was.

"Oh my-" Hermione gasped.

The Fat Lady had vanished from her portrait, which had been slashed so viciously that strips of canvas littered the floor; great chunks of it had been torn away completely.

Nicholas was silently looking around for anything unusual that could have anything to do with the incident, or more like trying to sense odd magical activities in the area.

Dumbledore took a quick look at the torn painting and turned, his eyes somber, to see Professors McGonnagall, Snape, and Lupin hurrying toward him.

"We need to find her," said Dumbledore. "Professor McGonnagall, please go to Mr. Filch at once and tell him to search every painting in the castle for the Fat Lady."

"You'll be lucky!" said a cackling voice.

It was Peeves the Poltergeist, bobbing over the crowed and looking delighted, as he always did, at the sight of wreckage or worry.

"What do you mean Peeves?" said Dumbledore calmly, and Peeves's grin faded a little. He didn't dare taunt Dumbledore. Instead he adopted an oily voice that was no better than his cackle.

"Ashamed, your headship, sir. Doesn't want to be seen. She's a horrible mess. Saw her running through the landscape up on the fourth floor, sir, dodging between the trees. Crying somthing dreadful." he said happily. "Poor thing," he added unconvincingly.

"Did she say who did it?" said Dumbledore quietly.

"Oh yes Professorhead," said Peeves, with the air of one cradling a large bombshell in his arms. "He got very angry when she wouldn't let him in you see." Peeves flipped over and grinned at Dumbledore from between his own legs.

What Peeves said next shocked everyone in the area, Nicholas included.

"Nasty temper he's got, that Sirius Black."


End file.
